Today’s News

Milo Ventimiglia Speaks Out About His New Project

The last time TV viewers saw Milo Ventimiglia he was honing his ever-changing superpowers on NBC's Heroes. Now, on his new project, he's trying to develop an ability he wished he could carry over into real life — the power to stay awake 24/7.

Ventimiglia — whose development deal with NBC for a show based on his comic book Rest, was recently announced — says he's excited to embark on the project.

"For me, all I wanted to do was make a great comic book because I read comic books as a kid and I [still] read them as an adult and I wanted to contribute to the world of comic books," the actor told TV Guide Magazine at the Autism Speaks event in Los Angeles on November 4. "Then when the idea came up of doing something else with the concept, and after linking up with some great producers and the amazing writer Phil Levens, it was like, 'Yeah, let's make a TV show.'"

He'll not only executive produce, but also hopes to star in the series once it goes into production. Ventimiglia would play John Barrett, who thanks to a drug trial program that removes his need to sleep, can stay up all day and all night.

"I think it's an amazing thing, because I'm a bit of an overachiever, so there's a lot I'd want to do with 24 hours a day if I had it — but there is a downside, another side of the coin, and he finds himself caught up in some very large conspiracies that run very, very deep," says Ventimiglia.

He tells TV Guide Magazine that being on Heroes for four years helped him realize the importance of setting the tone on set, something he hopes to do himself. "I'm such a production guy, I love being on set, I love being with my crew," he says. "So for me, first and foremost, it's like, 'Hey, let's have a great time, let's enjoy the work that we're doing.' It's going to be long hours, but I'm going to be the first one on set and the last one to leave. I think that's kind of where I'm starting off right now, and as we get deeper into the process of developing the idea, we'll see where we go."